OVHcloud, a leading European cloud provider and the largest public provider outside the US and China, has announced a partnership with Maroc Datacenter (MDS), a Tier III data center operator in Morocco, to launch a Local Zone Edge location.
This collaboration aims to capitalize on the growing demand for cloud services in Francophone Africa and leverage MDS’s Tier III data center to support workloads requiring low latency. These include real-time analytics, e-commerce websites, content delivery networks (CDN) for video streaming, and cloud gaming. Through MDS, OVHcloud will offer a range of services, including compute, block storage, and networking, with enhanced options for data residency to meet the needs of OVH customers.
Maroc Datacenter highlighted local data residency as a key differentiator in the partnership, emphasizing its role in helping customers comply with data protection regulations and maintain control over sensitive information.
Moroccan customers will benefit from OVHcloud’s open and trusted cloud offerings, with data located in close proximity to users.
Abderrahmane Mounir, Chairman of Maroc Datacenter, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “We are delighted to enter a partnership with the OVHcloud Group, a global player and the European leader in the cloud. The launch of a Local Zone in Morocco will contribute to strengthening the kingdom’s digital ecosystem by offering innovative cloud platforms and providing public and private organizations with cloud services that guarantee data sovereignty and low latency.”
OVHcloud plans to expand its cloud footprint to South Africa, Kenya, and Tunisia by 2025, with ambitions to reach up to 150 Local Zones worldwide by 2026.
Caroline Comet-Fraigneau, OVHcloud’s VP for France, Benelux, Africa, and the Middle East, highlighted the significance of the Rabat launch in strengthening the company’s ties with Morocco and extending its offerings across Africa.
Despite being a late entrant to the African cloud market, OVHcloud aims to compete with established operators like Amazon, Oracle, Google, and Microsoft on the continent through partnerships leveraging local expertise. This move positions OVHcloud as a key player in shaping Africa’s digital future.
OVHcloud currently operates in 43 data centers across 9 countries globally, with plans for expansion into more data centers in Canada, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and France.
